Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Our guy Taylor Bryant got some bigtime facetime with WRDW News 12 in Augusta today! You can see the clip by clicking on the title of this post if I can't figure out how to embed it later on. Taylor has some great quotes and the rest of the merry band of democrat blood suckers get some face time too! There's democrat Candidate Hardie "How much time do I have left to file my campaign disclosure report?" Davis, democrat Candidate Harold "I got $41,000 in my campaign account!" Jones and the singing democrat Candidate Sandra Scott Cannon. No singing this time though.

Best quote of the piece goes to Taylor. Right at the end he says he's not a ruler, he's leader. Which reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from my OCS days, "Lead, follow or get the hell out of the way". Way to speak from the heart Taylor.

Here's the vid:

OK, miserable fail. Looks like you'll have to click on the title of this post to see the vid. One day I'll actually have a uber-cyber-ninja who knows how to do this kind stuff effortlessly and seamlessly. But not today.

So we got 7 days left to the election. Taylor needs your support like right now. Every Libertarian in Georgia really ought to drop what ever you're doing and go to Taylors website and drop a sawbuck on his donate button. It would take about $2500 dollars to absolutely saturate the AM talk radio market in Augusta on next Monday and Tuesday with Taylor's message of Smaller Government, Lower Taxes and More Freedom. That's 125 donors kicking in $20 each. If Google analytics is telling the straight stuff, that's about 20% of the folks that wander through here on a daily basis.

It's time to stop observing events and time to start influencing them. You count and your $20 bucks count even more. Take the plunge and get involved, send Taylor Bryant some support and help change politics in Georgia.

Vote for for Smaller Government, Lower Taxes and More Freedom! Vote for and Support Taylor Bryant for Georgia State Senate District 22!

Monday, December 28, 2009

There's 8 days left in the special election to decide who is gonna take Ed Tarver's Senate seat for the 22nd District over in Augusta. If you've been wandering by for the last two weeks, then you are as up to speed on all the ins and outs of this race as anybody drawing breath in Georgia. I have to admit that this race has not drawn all that much attention either in the traditional media or out here in the blog-o-sphere as I thought it would, and I am puzzled by that.

A Senate seat is at stake. One of 56 such seats here in Georgia. Georgia Libertarians should be proud of the fact that Taylor Bryant had the moxie to step up, file and run. It's a large step to go from actually being a Libertarian to being a Libertarian candidate, kind of like transitioning from flying a first person flight sim on your PC/Xbox to actually rolling a 757 down the runway loaded with screaming passengers. And Taylor has run a tremendous race so far.

But in these last eight days something has to happen to enable Taylor to come out on top and lay claim to the first Georgia State Senate seat EVER occupied by a Libertarian. He has to have the support of every swinging Libertarian in Georgia, he needs everything you got to hold what he's got. The first thing is cash. Yard signs cost money, radio ads cost money and Taylor is running the leanest campaign in this race. Hell, democrat Hardie Davis and democrat Harold Jones are out gunning him financially by about 80 to 1. Add in their on the ground advantage with the Augusta democrat political machine and it sure looks like Taylor Bryant hasn't got a chance.

But he does. Augusta is not a monolithic democrat plantation. The Sec States website indicates that Richmond county has about 55,000 registered democrats and about 40,000 registered republicans. It's heavily slanted towards the democrat party but it is not owned lock, stock and barrel by them. It's true that the District 22 senate seat has been held by a democrat for the last 20 plus years, but that does not mean it's guaranteed to be theirs for perpetuity. Voters can change that.

This is special election. Special elections have low turnout. Instead of 65,000 votes cast as was the case in 2008, you should be looking for a grand total of about 12,000 votes cast as was the case in the 2005 special election that Ed Tarver won. About 12,000 votes. And to get a clean win, the top voter getter has to do 50% plus one vote to avoid a run off. So democrat Hardie Davis or democrat Harold Jones has to hit about 6000 votes to get a clean win, and that is assuming the third democrat candidate doesn't break a 1000 votes.

But what if the 40,000 registered republicans show up? I don't see any signs that that is happening but what if 25% of them decide to help a brother out and vote for Taylor Bryant? That is what I want to see happen. Augusta would then have a State Senator that could play both sides against the middle, he could caucus with the democrats on social issues and caucus with republicans on fiscal issues and introduce legislation on a wide variety of Libertarian issues that have never been addressed before in the great state of Georgia.

So, if you know anybody in the Augusta area, call them. Ask them to vote for Taylor Bryant. Help to engineer the greatest upset in Georgia politics in living memory. If you have $20 you can spare, got to Taylor's website and donate it. $20 bucks will buy a 30 second radio ad in Augusta and radio can reach a lot more people that this blog will right now. If you don't have any money head over to the Augusta Chronicle and offer your thoughts on this race. There's an article a day and most of them don't exceed 8 comments from readers. Make your mark and help Taylor Bryant push this puppy over the finish line. Help him be the next Senator from Augusta.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

I was cruising around the internet checking out the search phrase "Bludgeon & Skewer" when I chanced upon a likely link and discovered to my astonishment that King Roy's campaign site saw fit to link to us on the last little blurb we put out about Sec State Handel's resignation. I'm still astonished at the thought that our throughly partisan activities with the Ex Sec State would be included on King Roy's negative news aggregator (NNA) with the likes of the fine folks over at Peach Pundit, Creative Loafing and Lucid Idiocy. Those guys are many levels above our quaint little site. They do twitter and stuff like that.

I suppose when you're looking for negative opinions about the Ex Sec State you would be well served by stopping by Bludgeon & Skewer for a look see. From a equal ballot access point of view, I don't know of another political blog operation in Georgia that's been pushing as hard as we have to get the Ex Sec State to sit down and read Title 10 and Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia. Hell, I read it and it seems to me that the ability to implement electronic petitioning rests squarely in the lap of the Sec State. Maybe there's some double secret legislative mumbo jumbo somewhere that says Title 10 and Title 21 really don't supercede previous code sections and maybe the Secretarty of State isn't the officer with whom the petitions are actually filed. Maybe.

But for all our hostility towards the Ex Sec State, we're not exactly in love with King Roy either. That's the best part of being a Libertarian. You can point out what a miserable bunch of career politicians currently run the republican and democrat parties here in Georgia. Neither one of them can get anything done, aside from excluding third party types from getting on the ballot. They are united on that one front. No competition allowed, you can vote for any candidate you want as long as he/she is one of ours.

So we'll keep an eye on Roy 2010 and see if any more leakage occurs. There's not a whole lot of good things to say about any of King Roy's potential republican adversaries at the moment. And certainly nothing good to say about him aside from the historical role he will play in Libertarian John Monds successful run for the Governorship of Georgia in November 2010.

In the meantime, don't forget Libertarian Taylor Bryants run for State Senate District 22 over in Augusta. The election is in 9 days. If you know anyone living in district 22, call 'em, email 'em, tweet 'em and tell them to get to the polls and vote for Libertarian Taylor Bryant!

The mighty, mighty Augusta Chronicle issued a gushing endorsement of Candidate Hardie "Checks in the mail" Davis today in a move that stunned the local political scene in Augusta, Georgia. OK, nobody is stunned, hell, no one is even surprised. We've been watching the Chronicle for the last two weeks or so and will note that their coverage of Hardie Davis has been less than aggressive. He's their guy and he's always been their guy since Ed Tarver bolted for the greener grass of that US Attorney gig.

So how much weight does this revered publication have in the Augusta scene? They are the only daily paper still in business in Augusta, a quick dash over to their propaganda... er, circulation department just doesn't say much. A deeper look elsewhere reveals a claimed circulation of 75,000 plus papers on a daily basis and a readership of 200,000. Now with the population of the Augusta-Richmond County Metropolitan Area estimated at 534,218 people over at Wikipedia, it looks like the Chronicle gets read by a little under 20% of the population unless each of their print copies actually does get handed around to 1.5 other people by the original buyer. Way to share those newsprint resources Augusta!

So the only daily paper in the area lines up behind Candidate Hardie Davis, disses Candidate Harold Jones as a tool of the back room boys and describes Libertarian Taylor Bryant and the singing democrat Sandra Cannon as inconsequential. Are they right?

I hope that all politically active Augustans realize that this special election is special solely because Libertarian Taylor Bryant is on the ballot. Without him, this race would be the 20 year norm of one machine democrat trying to replace another machine democrat for a place at the trough. The people of Augusta are not normally allowed a clear choice due to our fair state's biased and un-american ballot access laws. The democrats set it up that way in 1943 to keep the republicans out of power along with assorted other threats and when the republicans finally grabbed the reins of government, they didn't do a thing to change it. So these days, in a normal election, you get to choose between a democrat who can't keep his fingers out of the cookie jar like Charlie Walker, or a republican who can't keep his pants on like Ex Speaker Glenn Richardson. Some choice.

But because this is a special election, the people of State Senate District 22 do have a choice. A powerful choice. The history of special elections can be summarized by one phrase. Low Turnout. Ed Tarver won that senate seat in 2005 because of low turnout. And Libertarian Taylor Bryant can do the same thing in this election if every conservative minded, tea party goin', liberty lovin' voter will go to the polls on or before 5 JAN 2010 and vote for him. It's numbers game that favors the electorate that normally gets their noses rubbed it every general election by the political machine of the Augusta democrat party. If 6000 Augustans vote for Taylor Bryant, there will be a run off between him and Hardie Davis, if 9000 Augustans vote for Taylor Bryant, he will be your next State Senator.

So think about it. There are easily 12,000 voters of District 22 that have not had any voice at the State Senate for the last 20 years, This special election gives you the opportunity to speak up for Smaller Government, Lower Taxes and More Freedom by voting for Libertarian Taylor Bryant. Don't sit on your hands, exercise your rights and vote. Vote for Libertarian Taylor Bryant!

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

We drew a little heat from a post we put up at the Augusta Chronicle about Candidate Hardie Davis failing to get his late fee's squared away with the Georgia State Ethics Commission way back in the way back on the 21st of December. In polite language, I and the rest of the readers were told by some cat who goes by the handle of "Southside" that Candidate Davis had directed his campaign treasurer to take care of the issue after the last candidate forum on 17 DEC 09 in Augusta. That was last Thursday.

Guess what? Ah you know already.... the check is still in the mail.

See, that's why I don't think that Candidate Davis is the guy for State Senate 22. He cannot pick competent help. While he was a State House Rep, his staff didn't keep him up to speed on the financial disclosures filings, they didn't even tell him he owed the state money for filing late and they weren't savy enough even make the connection that a politician looking to run for higher office might not want a political opponent to be able to point out information like that.

Now he's got a campaign treasurer that decides a political hot potato like an unpaid Ethics Commission fine is best resolved by licking a stamp the week before Christmas and sending the $100 on it's merry way via the USPS. With keen decision making like that, what can the voters of District 22 expect from him if they send him to the Senate?

So we've set up an office pool here at Bludgeon & Skewer to try to guess when the $100 dollar ethics fine will finally show up on the Ethics Commission Website as paid. There are still a couple of blocks open and you can get one by sending Libertarian Taylor Bryant a donation over at his website. The link is on the sidebar.

We'll continue to update this micro-drama until it's conclusion. Then we'll have to come up with a new nick name for Candidate Davis. "Back room" has a nice ring to it, but "petty bickering" is just more appealing.

More to follow from your friendly neighborhood Libertarian Community Organizer!

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Ex- Sec State Karen Handel has thrown in the towel and quit her sweet gig over there at the capitol to spend the next few months begging for money to buy her way into the Governorship. We have mixed reactions to that over here at Bludgeon & Skewer, glad to see her head off into oblivion, sorry to have to start all over on the electronic petitioning issue. What the hell, who ever gets the gig might have time to read title 10 and title 21 of the official code of Georgia and realize that electronic petitioning can be implemented by the Sec State on his or her own authority.

I've left some bread crumbs over at Fresh Loaf and managed to get in a mention about our guy Taylor Bryant. Head over and join the fun!

TANSTAAFL Says:
December 22nd, 2009 at 4:30 pm
Jeeze Louise,

It’s sheer pandemonium over here at the secret underground Libertarian Command Center (LCC) on the news that Sec State Handle is quitting her office to focus on her run for the republican nomination for Governor. We were hoping that she might read title 10 and title 21 of the OCGA over the holidays and finally see the light on electronic petitioning. We even had the third certified letter all addressed and everything! Now we have to start all over with what ever Nimrod Sonny appoints to finish out her term.

Life is not fair and we’ll have to content ourselves with helping Libertarian Taylor Bryant in his bid to win Augusta’s special election for State Senate District 22. It’s the only real race in Georgia at the moment and will be first election of the 2010 cycle. Once we get done with that it’s back to pounding on the Sec States door about equal ballot access for all Georgians.
We just hope that who ever gets the gig can read.

Monday, December 21, 2009

I got an email from Equal Ballot access for all and thought I'd drop by and point out that we have an equal access election running in Augusta but ran into the long winded wall once more. I have got to get more pithy.

It's a great group inhabited by all sorts of non linear malcontents like myself. Join up and join in the fun!

Here's my long winded post that exceeded the character limit.

Greetings All,

There is one type of election in the great state of Georgia that requires no petitioning. Special elections. There is currently one special election in process for State Senate District 22 in Augusta and it features Libertarian Taylor Bryant, democrat Hardie Davis, democrat Harold Jones and democrat Sandra Cannon Scott.

Because special elections are off cycle and only occur when something drastic happens, the petition requirement is waived. That means anyone who has resided in the affected district for at least a year, is over the age of 25 and can pony up the $400 filing fee is on the ballot. The kind of access that should be the norm, not special.

And there are gonna be two more special elections here in Georgia by March 2010 or so, State Senate District 42 in Decatur and State House District 19. These races are open to anyone who meets the requirements. If any members of this group reside in those areas, think about running. And while you're thinking about running, visit Libertarian Taylor Bryant's website and do what you can to help the man out

Candidate Hardie Davis, one of three democrats who are running in the special election in State Senate District 22 owes the State Ethics Commission $100 for filing two financial disclosure reports late. One from 2008 that he owes a whopping $75 on and one from 2009 that's only up to $25.

What kind of mindset is that? Do the voters of District 22 get to pick and choose which state fines they'll pay or ignore? What happens if you get a parking ticket and you just don't pay? You get a bench warrant issued and the next time you run afoul of John Law, it's off to the pokey. Evidently, the State Ethics Commission isn't swinging a big enough stick because Hardie Davis has lots of company in the "fail to pay late fee" list over at the state capitol. Maybe that should be epic fail.

But ask yourself, if you were planning to run for higher office, wouldn't you take care of the ash and trash from your last office? Doesn't that seem like a common sense thing to do? Has Hardie Davis got common sense?

So I got to digging around some more and finally wound up looking at the reports that Hardie did file. And they are pretty damn pedestrian. It looks like it takes about $20,000 dollars a cycle to keep an unopposed seat at the Georgia State House. If it wasn't for the democrat primary, Hardie could have coasted! Damn those primaries!

Well he's not in an unopposed race now. He's got Libertarian Taylor Bryant breathing down his neck speaking the glorious words of Smaller Government, Lower Taxes and More Freedom, democrat candidate Harold Jones horning in on his airtime and asking why he voted for the Great Georgia Power Give Away (GGPGA) and democrat candidate Sandra Cannon Scott is singing. Not a bad voice, she's no Susan Boyle mind you, but not a bad voice.

And so what should the neglected voters of State Senate District 22 do about this? You know who you are, you hang up there in city council district 3 and 7 and down there in council district 8. Which one of these four candidates might possibly share your fiscal concerns? Which one of these candidates might share your social concerns? Which one of these candidates might go to work for the District and actually get something done?

Libertarian Taylor Bryant, that's who.

So get out there and vote. Vote early, vote on election day, vote by absentee ballot, just vote. And have the kids draw up a yard sign or two like the ones we all saw at the Tea Parties this spring and summer. Politics can be fun for the whole family!

Vote for Smaller Government, Lower Taxes and More Freedom! Vote for Libertarian Taylor Bryant for Senate!

Sunday, December 20, 2009

The cats out of the bag on the predicted low turn out for Augusta's Special Election for the Georgia State Senate District 22 race. The mighty, mighty Augusta Chronicle has predicted an abysmal turn out for this election due to conflict with the holiday season and a particularly grueling run off held at the first of the month for some city council races. Our guy, Libertarian Taylor Bryant, got a good solid quote in the article and the reporter did an outstanding unbiased job detailing each candidates particulars.

It also reported that Candidate Harold Jones has upped the ante and is running radio ads in addition to a regular yard sign campaign. Both he and Hardie Davis have sent out a Christmas card mailer to the denizens and citizens of the 22nd, and the Singing Democrat Sandra Suett Cannon Scott has a freakin' Billboard! Our guy is getting out gunned and we need to do something about it!

If you know any one in Augusta, call 'em, email 'em, tweet 'em, send 'em a postcard, make sure they know that Libertarian Taylor Bryant is the cat to vote for. If you live in Augusta, make up a yard sign and put it in your front yard to show your support. And most important contact Taylor's crew and see if they have any thing you can help them with.

So head over to the article by clicking on the title of this post and get your two cents in!
Here's a copy of what I had to say.

Greetings All,

Nice article Mr. Edwards, it is the most complete profile I've read on this oh so interesting race so far. I think that some additional information might be of interest to the voters of District 22 as they sort out who they want to represent them in the next session at the capitol.

In the 2008 election Senator Tarver wiped the floor with republican John Butler, taking 80% of the ballots cast to the republican's 20%, but in light of the predicted low turn out, the percentages are not as interesting as the numbers. Mr. Butler received 11,000 votes in that contest. 11,000 votes. Additionally, Libertarian John Monds received 26,000 votes in Richmond County in 2008 while running for the PSC southern district seat. That indicates that District 22 has a diversity of political opinion that has been historically under served.

This special election is very special in that provides an opportunity for the neglected voters of District 22 to raise their voices and cast their ballots for change. Vote for Smaller Government, Lower Taxes and More Freedom! Vote for Libertarian Taylor Bryant for State Senate!

Saturday, December 19, 2009

It's Saturday and I didn't have to work steel today so I took the day and spent it politic'n here at the old keyboard. In my travels, I wandered onto a blog called Peanut Politics that had a color map up of Georgia's state house districts. I'm a sucker for maps and as a result just had to post. The guys and gals down there are true blue democrats, but don't hold that against 'em. They usually feel the way Libertarians do on the victimless crime issue and quite of few that I know here in Decatur are as sick of the war on drugs as we are. Not sick enough to call for decriminalization, but almost.

So head on down and join the fun! Click on the title of this post and you'll be transported at the speed of light to Peanut Politics.

Greetings All,

I wandered in here quite by accident but when I saw the district map of Georgia I was compelled to see what was up.

I worked closely with the Allen Buckley campaign in the 2008 cycle and as a result, became a member of the Libertarian Party of Georgia and stopped being a voter and became a Libertarian activist. In the 2008 cycle there were 82 republicans running for state house and state senate that had no opponents and there were 62 democrats that ran with no opponents. Out of 180 elected positions in Georgia in 2008, 141 ran unopposed.

Georgia has been cut up into safe republican districts and safe democrat districts and this division has been maintained by our fair state's draconian 1943 Jim Crow ballot access laws for the last 66 years. The reason you seldom, make that never, see Libertarians running in these crucial local races is that they just cannot surmount the petitioning barrier. Most of our candidates that have tried have seen their volunteers drop by the wayside in the hot June sun, their hard won petition signatures disqualified by the Notary Public rule and other administrative hurdles and as a result they folded their tents and moved on.

I think that if you expect to see a major change in the 2010 cycle from what was experienced in 2008, you are bound to be disappointed. The numbers of unopposed races in Georgia has been fairly constant over the last 4 election cycles if the info over at Sec State Handel's office is accurate. It's almost as if the leadership of the state democrat party got together with the leadership of the state republican party and agreed not to poach on each others territory.

The only races you will see some change in are the Special Elections. Special Elections will have a Libertarian candidate because the petition requirement is dropped. The only requirements to qualify for the ballot in special elections are that the candidate is over the age of 25, has resided in the district for 1 year and can pony up the $400 qualifying fee. Thats it, no party affiliation, no petitioning. Sort of what it should be like all the time.

Libertarian Taylor Bryant is contesting the District 22 special election against three democrat candidates. It is curious that no republicans saw fit to run in this race, but since District 22 has sent a democrat Senator to the capitol for the last 20+ years, it is not surprising. Our candidate is operating on a shoe string as is usual for Libertarians, and we are encouraged by his performance in the forums held in Augusta to date. We believe that he will do well enough to force a run off for this seat, if he doesn't win it outright.

The special election for State Senate District 42 will start sometime after Senator David Adelman is confirmed as Ambassador to Singapore. LP Georgia also has a candidate waiting in the wings for that race and we believe that we will do well in this heavily democrat district.

Taylor Bryant, the kid from nowhere, has zoomed up to page one ranking at Google search using the search phrase "Taylor Bryant". It's no small feat to grab the number 4 spot on the first page of returns out of 3.7 million hits on Google, but it has happened with Taylor Bryant. When I first started looking into this campaign, you had to use Taylor's name with the second descriptor of Libertarian to find him in the first 15 pages. Way to go Taylor!

Let's keep working on the buzz and make sure that Taylor stays in the news by commenting on his race where ever you can. While you're at it, drop by his website and drop a dollar on his donate button! Or go way beyond that and volunteer to put up yard signs, hand out literature or anything else you can think of!

17 days until the election! Lets put Libertarian Taylor Bryant in the State Senate!

With all the excitement about Taylor Bryant's campaign over in Augusta's State Senate District 22, Tom Stubbs announced on the Decatur Metro Blog that he's gonna contest Jason Carter in the looming race in State Senate 42. Great news as two democrat candidates competing for the same pool of voters is better than one. Head over to Decatur Metro and join in the fun!

Excellent news! That makes two confirmed democrat candidates for the impending Brouhaha scheduled for the 42nd District as soon as those loafers up in congress get around to confirming Bundlin’ Dave Adelman as the new Ambassador to Singapore. Like they got something better to do…
That leaves John Ridley to make up his mind as to whether they’ll be three democrats in the race or just two. Rumor has it that Republican Altaf Galeyev will also file once Sec State Karen Handel announces that qualifying is open, the Greens are thinking about it and the Libertarian Party has a candidate in the wings!
It’s gonna be a very special special election and denizens and citizens of district 42 will have a tremendous range of choice.

There's a great article on Taylor Bryant's run for State Senate District 22 up over at Augusta's Metro Spirit alternative. As far as I can tell, Metro Spirit kinda looks like Augusta's version of Creative Loafing and the work that writer Amy Fennell Christian did on this in depth interview is top notch. If you want to read the whole thing, click on the title of this post and off you'll go to Metro Spirit land. There's only one small disconnect in that Amy refers to Taylor as Kevin, but for all I know that may the name on his qualification form. As I said, a small point but one that should generate a secondary article correcting the discrepancy. I hope.

So, here's the post I put up, all of you should head over and put your two cents in to help Taylor continue to generate buzz and help the man get elected! While you're at it, cruise over to the sidebar and hit a few of the political ads, especially any that have the names Handel or Deal on 'em!

More to follow from your friendly neighborhood Libertarian Community Organizer!

Greetings All,

Kudos to Ms. Christian on the best article I've seen so far on the special election for Georgia State Senate District 22. It is important for the citizens of District 22 to look at this race closely because Libertarian Taylor Bryant is on the Ballot and offers a third path for political leadership. Voters in the 22nd district can repeat history by sending a democrat to the state senate, just as they have done for the last 20+ years or they can make history by electing Libertarian Taylor Bryant as their State Senator.

Keep in mind that the opportunity to vote for a Libertarian candidate is rare in Georgia for a state house or state senate position. Georgia's 1943 Jim Crow ballot access laws were written to keep third party candidates off the ballot and reserve the state of Georgia for the sole use of democrat and republican politicians. And those same democrat and republican professional politicians have run our fair state into the ground. No water plan, worst in the nation education and an ongoing circus of corruption and infidelity at the capitol. Do the voters of the 22nd want more that or do you seek change?

Take this rare opportunity to send the political elites a message. One that they will understand. Elect Libertarian Taylor Bryant as your State Senator and send him to the capitol to get some work done for your district, Vote for Smaller Government, Lower Taxes and More Freedom! Vote for Libertarian Taylor Bryant for State Senate!

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

It seems that Big Jim Galloway has taken his Christmas vacation and as a result, the Political Insider will be pretty inactive until after the holidays. Heavy sigh. I took the opportunity to put up a post in the coveted number one position to get the word out about Taylor Bryant's run for State Senate District 22, it remains to be seen if the "moderator" over at AJC will let it post.

I would like to call the readerships attention to the Special Election underway in State Senate District 22 in Augusta. It has three democrats and one Libertarian Candidate, Taylor Bryant, duking it out for the senate seat vacated by Senator Ed Tarver due to his selection as US Attorney for the southern district. It’s a great race with one singing democrat called by god, a one term state rep who is on the high road and doesn’t want to bicker with the lesser candidates on the ticket, a local pol who’s decided to move on up to the state house and the lone Libertarian who qualified to get on the ballot because it’s a special election with no petitioning requirement.

What with the Mayor’s race being done and all, perhaps the political junkies who read Big Jim’s column would care to cruise by the Augusta Chronicle and get involved with this race. It’s the first election of 2010 and Libertarian Taylor Bryant just might win. What a shock wave that would send through political circles here in Georgia!

Visit Taylor’s site and drop a dollar on his donate button! The election is in 20 Days!!!!

More to follow from your friendly neighborhood Libertarian Community Organizer!

I was checking out news reports of last nights NAACP Forum over in Augusta for the candidates running in the Special Election for State Senate District 22 and found a short blurb in the Augusta Chronicle about the event. It's pretty much what you'd expect, one democrat candidate got marginalized because she said God told her to run, the other two democrat candidates got into a He said/He said exchange on who would be the better democrat Senator for District 22. And Libertarian Taylor Bryant got exactly one quote. To whit:

quote "Mr. Bryant said what Augusta needs is common sense, and lawmakers need to ask who is going to pay for legislative initiatives before committing money.
"Who are we going to take the money from to pay for it?" he said. "It's not wise to spend money we don't make." end quote

True statement Taylor.

So I dropped down to kick in my two cents and lo and behold of the three concerned cyber citizens that had read the article and gone to the effort of saying something, two of 'em got moderated out of existence. I wonder what they said.

In the interest of free speech, if those blackballed commentators would like top republish their thoughts here at Bludgeon & Skewer, fire up the comment tab. If you must use profanity, please be so kind as to use polite self editing, for example, don't say "Stupid Motherfucker" use "Stupid Mxxxxxxfxxxxx"" or "Stupid M/Fer" or any of the other accepted short forms.

So kids, click the title of this post and head over to the Augusta Chronicle, read the article and give their readership your thoughts, just watch your language. And before you do that hit some of the political ads here at Bludgeon & Skewer on the sidebar. Adsense works, by golly and the micro campaign kitty jar is starting to fill up.

The Comment Trail:

This comment was removed for violation of the comments policy.
Posted by xxxxxxxx on Wed Dec 16, 2009 3:11 AM

This comment was removed for violation of the comments policy.
Posted by xxxxxxxxx on Wed Dec 16, 2009 5:01 AM

LOL...is anyone going to be able to comment on these clowns??OMG..here we go agin ..just a bunch of losers.......
Posted by bettyboop on Wed Dec 16, 2009 8:42 AM

Greetings All,

Nice to read that there was some contention between Mr Davis and Mr. Jones at last nights NAACP forum. I note that there is no indication on the size of the crowd or it's temperament. Any one make any video of said event?

It's also good to hear that Libertarian Taylor Bryant is standing firm on the basic Libertarian principles of Smaller Government. Lower Taxes and More Freedom. These three simple concepts will lead to smart government that works within its means and harasses its citizens less.

So if the voters of State Senate District 22 are ready for change, if the voters of State Senate District 22 are tired of 20+ years of ineffectual democrat leadership, then Vote for Libertarian Taylor Bryant on 5 JAN 2010

Posted by TANSTAAFL on Wed Dec 16, 2009 9:32 AM

Hey Kids, Update Time!

Would you believe that there was another article on the same forum by the same reporter published late last night! I know, it boggles the mind, but you know content is measured by the number of lines typed. Better comments on that article, all two of 'em and I had to add something as well:

Greetings All,

What an astounding difference a day makes. I just got done reading the article published on the 16th and here's this little gem published on the 15th. I really want to hear more from Rozzie2003 on his take on this race as well as the rest of the Augusta delegation, please contact us over at Bludgeon & Skewer so we can discuss this a bit further.

I do think that Libertarian Taylor Bryant would be the smart choice for State Senate District 22. Being a Libertarian in a Senate dominated by republicans would give the voters of the district an additional voice in the competition for increasingly scarce state resources. It doesn't look like the current democrat package has been able to get much done, aside from giving your money away.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

I was out beating the bushes looking for venues to express my support for Taylor Bryant the Libertarian who's running for State Senate District 22 when I found a nice little puff piece on Hardie Davis in the letters to the editor section at the Augusta Chronicle. If you want to read it click the title of this post and off to Chronicle land you will go. While you're there leave a comment or two about the article. Looked like a great opportunity to compare and contrast, so I did. But my attempt was for naught as there seems to be an email disconnect between me and the fine folks over there in Chronicle land. Oh well.

Here's the original post in all it's glory, Who knows, it may show up over there some time.

Greetings All,

Augustan's residing in State Senate District 22 have an opportunity to make history in the upcoming special election to replace State Senator Ed Tarver. There are three democrats running in this race and one Libertarian Candidate, Taylor Bryant.

The three democrat candidates are, well, democrat candidates. Nothing more and nothing less. Hardie Davis is a good example of a typical machine democrat, one tour at the state house under his belt, knows all the right people, says all the right things, gets nothing done but looks good doing it. He did commend a lot of people and organizations last session, but there is no mention of Hardie providing new jobs or exempting the residents of District 22 from any taxes and there certainly is no water plan as of now.

Taylor Bryant is a Libertarian. Libertarians are for Smaller Government, Lower Taxes and More Freedom. Please visit his website at http://www.bryantforaugusta.com/ and make up your own mind about who you want representing you at the State Capitol next session.

Vote for Smaller Goverment, Lower Taxes and More Freedom! Vote Libertarian Taylor Bryant for State Senate!

Sunday, December 13, 2009

I've been sliding around the internet and am pleased to see that Taylor Bryant is getting hits on search terms. I left some tracks over at Ballot Access News as shown below and will spread some more crumbs out there in the Blog-O-Sphere. All of you need to go to Taylor's website and drop a dollar on the man's donate button. Yard signs ain't cheap and this race will need plenty of 'em.

Greetings All,

Congratulations to Libertarian Taylor Bryant for throwing his hat in the ring for the impending Special Election in Georgia’s State Senate District 22 contest. The election will be held on 5 JAN 2010 and turn out can be expected to be low. In 2008 about 54,000 voters cast their ballots in the race that returned Senator Tarver to office in a landslide. What is truly interesting is the fact that Senator Tarver (D) won his first election in the 22nd as a result of a special election that was held after the democrat incumbent was sent to jail for tax evasion, mail fraud and conspiracy. In that special election, Senator Tarver won the day with 8,075 votes.

Taylor Bryant has a real chance of success in this race. As is typical of Libertarian efforts here in Georgia, Mr. Bryant is underfunded and under staffed and needs what ever support you can offer. We’ll be following this contest closely over at Bludgeon & Skewer because we think it will be a bell weather for our efforts in the other special elections soon to be held in Georgia.

State Senate District 42 will have one as soon as congress confirms Bundlin’ Dave Adelman as the new ambassador to Singapore and State House District 19 will have one as soon as Speaker Richardson resigns his office on 1 JAN 2010.

These Special Elections offer the Georgia Libertarian Party and other third party candidates a tremendous opportunity to compete in state level elections we are normally frozen out of due to our fair states Draconian 1943 Jim Crow Ballot Access Laws. It is important to note that the requirements for qualifying for these races are that the candidate be 25 years of age, has resided in the district for at least 12 months and can pony up the $400 filing fee. That’s it.

I got so fired up prepping for the impending Special Election here in State Senate District 42 that I completely overlooked the current Special Election in State Senate District 22 over in Augusta. What can I say, I live in Decatur and all politics are local but I have lived in Richmond County as my father did a couple of tours at the US Army Signal School at Ft. Gordon way back in the way back. Another story for another time.

First question, where in hell is District 22? We knew you'd want to know:

So the Libertarian Party has a candidate running for office in District 22, a regular Joe named Taylor Bryant (L) who makes a living turning wrenches on mostly import cars. The guys is active in the CSRA (Central Savannah River Area) LP affiliate and is currently serving as the CSRA LP's Public Affairs Director. Good on you, Sir.

Georgia Senate District 22 is having a Special Election because the sitting Senator, Ed Tarver(D), has been selected to serve as the US Attorney for the Southern District. Congratulations Mr. Tarver. Tarver was elected in a Special Election in 2005 to replace then sitting Senator Charlie Walker (D) who ran afoul of the law and is currently serving a 10 year sentance at Club Fed for 127 counts of tax evasion, mail fraud and conspiracy. District 22 was Charlie's stomping ground from 1990 until his unfortunate incarceration in 2005.

Seeing how Senator Tarver's replacement will be decided by another Special Election, I thought I'd take a look at the 2005 election that put Mr. Tarver in his seat. In 2005 there were three candidates for the slot, Mr. Tarver, a guy named Ben Allen and a guy named George Brown. The Sec State's election website doesn't list their political affiliations, probably because Special Elections are non-partisan. Any way the vote totals are listed below:

Total votes in the 2004 general election: 50,089
Total votes in the 2005 Special Election: 12,755
Total votes in the 2008 general election: 54,814

So it sure looks like Georgia State Senate District 22 is what you would call a "safe" democrat seat seeing how they've sent democrats, to the state house for the last 19 years. So how can a Libertarian compete? Pretty effectively as it turns out. In the 2008 general election, John Monds, the Libertarian Party candidate for the PSC Southern district picked up 26,688 votes in Richmond County while running against the incumbent republican. I think you could claim that district 22 has a resident base of Libertarian leaning voters who will go to the polls and 26,000 votes should do the trick if you look at the special election results from 2005. I mean just 12,000 total votes were cast in that race and that profile fits nicely with common wisdom on Special Elections.

So what to do? First step is get the buzz going in Libertarian Circles. Second step send Taylor Bryant some money and contact his campaign to see if you can do something to help him out. Third step, blog your asses off and make sure that anything that shows up at the Augusta Chronicle, WAGT, WFXG, WBEK, WJBF, WRDW, WGAC and any other media outlet in District 22 has at least one good thing to say about Libertarian Candidate Taylor Bryant. This race will be decided on 5 JAN 2010 and it would be a great beginning for next year if our guy was sitting in the Senate.

More to follow from your friendly neighborhood libertarian community organizer!

Vote for Smaller Government, Lower Taxes, and More Freedom! Vote for Taylor Bryant for State Senate District 22! Vote Libertarian!

Saturday, December 12, 2009

It's almost impossible to do any reading on politics here in the great state of Georgia these days without having to wade through the rapidly filling republican sex/money swamps caused by Speaker Richardson's resignation. The guy quit before he got charged with anything that might land him in the jug and it sure looked like he had the fix in for his buddy Burkhalter. That's up in smoke and now every republican member of the Animal House at the gold dome wants to sit behind the speakers desk come January 2010. Fellas, there's only one chair so it looks like you'll have to take turns. Just be sure to take some cell phone snaps to remember the event.

Since the republican's are sucking all the air out of the room with their endless meetings and pronouncements, you'd never know that their democrat brothers and sisters are stirring the pot as fast as they can. The democrat chick in charge, one each Jane Kidd climbed up on the ceremonial holier than thou soapbox to whine about how the republican house caucus should allow democrat members of the house to cast votes for the republican speaker. What!? Ms. Kidd, it's the republican caucus, not the democrat caucus. I'm trying to remember how the democrats did things when they ruled this state for the 60 or so years before the republicans took over and I can't remember Tom Murphy saying "Aw shucks, them there republican members of the house are a nice bunch. Why don't we let them cast votes in our caucus to see if I'm going to keep my speakership?" If you really, really, really think that would be the way to select the next speaker of the Georgia house I want to let you know that you're sounding more like a Libertarian than a democrat. That, by the way, is a compliment.

Anyway, the title of this particular post is "Lobbyist Cash + Politicians = Corruption" and the spark that started this particular thought train came from Blake Aued over at OnlineAthens.com and post he put up yesterday about lobbyists and good ol" King Roy. Nice read.

Some of the salient facts he cited were related to the kinds of investments made by various and sundry outfits here in Georgia that apparently successfully curried favor with King Roy and brought about windfall profits. One that caught my eye was:

quote: "- Barnes took in $16k from his former law partner who advised Copeland Glenn, a Minnesota based company that does Medicaid work, and he gave them $100 million in state contracts (more than they asked for). This led to a study that demanded changes to the way Georgia accounts for Medicaid spending." end quote

Think about that Kids. King Roy's former law partner representing Copeland Glen ponies up $16,000 dollars and Copeland Glenn gets a contract for $100 Million for Medicaid work. That's way better than a 6000 to 1 return on their investment. It seems that Georgia politicians aren't just for sale, they're for sale at salvage pricing. I kinda understand the mentality, after all they're not trading their money for favors, they're trading OUR money for favors.

So how does the citizenry of the great state of Georgia solve this seemingly intractable problem of deep seated corruption from both republicans and democrats? How do we weed out these self serving politicians and find some representatives that might be inclined to look after working for their constituents and not themselves? Simple really. Vote Libertarian.

That's right, instead of voting for which ever brand of corrupt career politician is currently representing your district, you could vote for the Libertarian candidate. A guy or gal whose political indoctrination consisted of watching "Mr. Smith goes to Washington" a couple of times and who sincerely feels that something must be done. Oh, wait a minute, I forgot that here in the great state of Georgia you can't just vote for a Libertarian candidate for Georgia House or Georgia Senate because they can't qualify to get on the ballot thanks to Georgia's 1943 Jim Crow Ballot Access laws brought to you by the democrat party. And maintained by the republican party ever since they grabbed the reins of government as well as the purse strings. It's been a rigged game for the last 66 years and I've yet to hear a peep out of Ms. Kidd, or any other politician on that topic.

That leaves the citizens of Georgia one way to bust down the gates and bring change to Georgia. Vote for Libertarian John Monds for Governor in 2010. By law, if John Monds can get 20% of the votes in the 2010 race next November, the petitioning requirements are null and void and the floodgates will be open for a seething, roiling, mass of Libertarian candidates looking to challenge the 140 or so republican and democrat incumbents who never have an opponent for their statehouse jobs in 2012. Tongues will wag, fingers will be pointed and change will come to Georgia.

Vote for Smaller Government, Lower Taxes and More Freedom! Vote John Monds for Governor! Vote Chuck Donovan for US Senate! Vote Libertarian!

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Chuck Donovan, the only declared Libertarian candidate for Johnny Isakson's US Senate seat has put a new piece up at http://www.donovanforsenate.com/ discussing why he decided to throw his hat in the ring with the Libertarians. I can't wait to vote for him at next years convention!

Here's the article titled:

Why I Am Running As A Libertarian Party Candidate

By Chuck Donovan

"There are men in all ages who mean to govern well, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters."

Noah Webster (1758-1843)

The question I am most often asked is why I am running for office as a Libertarian instead of focusing my energy on reforming one of the "established" parties. Here is an excerpt from an email I received :

"... Please reconsider your decision to run on the Libertarian ticket. The Republicrats have essentially locked out a third party candidate. If a Democrat runs many independents will vote for him just to be rid of Isakson and your third party vote could pull enough votes to assure his election. Please consider the GOP as a means to the end for a greater good. Our original Constitution was written on a great compromise but gave us a strong government for nearly 75 years. You can compromise also, for the good of our country and the state of Georgia..."

While offering sincere concern and ultimate support, I think there are several incorrect assumptions this writer shares with other voters. The first is that because it has been that way for so long, it will not change now. We have a special opportunity in 2010 to make a real impression on Washington, D.C. For years, unhappy Democrats have voted for Republicans in order to send a message to the Democrats. Unhappy Republicans voted for Democrats to send a message to the Republicans. The only message the mainstream parties have received is that they own all of the power in Washington, D.C. We can send a far different message this election year.

Voters also assume that one party or another is the lesser of two evils. There is only one comment to make on that idea, the lesser of two evils is still evil.

Between the lines is the idea that people vote out of fear. He is right. I have done so myself. I have looked at terrible candidates and given them a vote nonetheless because the other candidate was clearly more dangerous to our country. I will never do that again. I ask voters to also more seriously consider the use of their one very small vote. Voting out of fear has never accomplished anything good.

I am asked to compromise. I am sure it will not be the last time. Americans have been given the incorrect idea that giving up a little freedom now will get you more later. That is a bad idea too. Don't give up one bit. Fight for everything you think is right without compromise. Then vote for what you know is right. With that kind of attitude, the Libertarian Party will completely knock every incumbent Republican and Democrat out of office for good.

The biggest disagreement I have is that either of the mainstream parties can be changed in any significant way. I believe they have shown us exactly what they intend to do. Whether times have been good or bad, the Republicans and Democrats have consistently grown government, expanded regulations to benefit special interests, increased the national debt, and passed the difficult decisions off on someone else. Whenever a choice had to be made, they have consistently told voters, working Americans, and working American businesses must tighten our belts while government continues to ride on our backs.

Here was my reply to him and to all of you who ask why I have accepted a request from the Libertarians to run for office:

"...I am well aware of the established structures the mainstream parties have. I know as a third party candidate I am essentially blazing my own trail... That said, when talking about political parties I am focused only on their results. Democrats and Republicans have been promising us for decades a smaller government, less regulations, and fiscal responsibility. These are the things I want from government, but what I have seen delivered decade after decade is much bigger government, more regulations, and fiscal insanity. I cannot put my name in line with the list of abject failures the Democrats and Republicans have sent into office. How many times do these people have to demonstrate to us who they are before we will believe them?

Our country, particularly our dollar, is in crisis. The poor leadership and misdirection delivered by the mainstream parties is the cause. A true change is what we need. I think the Libertarian Party is the only party in the world actually offering a valid way out. We are the only ones actually focused on individual liberty with a confidence in our fellow citizens. I share their belief and choice of direction. I furthermore am confident that the weight of history, economics, and morality is on our side.

I assure you that we have a strategy that will not only unseat Johnny Isakson, but defeat the Democratic candidate as well. I ask that Georgians not vote out of fear. The only true concern we have is that the Status Quo remains in Washington, D.C. The Status Quo will destroy our fragile economy, our dear Constitution and our precious liberty..."

My mission is freedom, and my vision is now.

Like I said, this guy gets it. Go to his website and drop a dollar on his donate button, volunteer for his campaign and remember, vote for Smaller Government, Lower Taxes and More Freedom! Vote Libertarian!

I was over at the AJC last night and unsuccessfully tried to post a comment on Big Jim Galloway's Political Insider blog congratulating Jason Carter for jumping into the Senate District 42 race. I sweated bullets over my little missive for a least 3 minutes and hit the submit button and it disappeared. Oh well, that is the way it is sometimes in cyber land.

I checked the comment trail this morning and the negatives are running 7 or 8 to one against the positives. What's up with that? It's not like little Jimmy Hitler announced. It's just freakin' Jason Carter, democrat. No big deal. So, in the interest of stirring the pot, here's a hazy recollection of my original killer post.

TANSTAAFL,

Greetings All,

We're flabbergasted over here at the secret underground Libertarian Command Center (LCC) at the news that the State Senate District 42 Special Election might not happen until March 2010! Thats ridiculous!! If we have a US House and a US Senate that can wreck the nation in a few short weeks, whats the hold up on confirming Bundlin' Dave Adelman? The Singaporeans are in desperate need of a new Ambassador and should not have to wait until March for him to show up to work.

The Special Election in District 42 is gonna be super non partisan special and should turn out to be the most interesting election the district's seen in recent memory. There's Jason Carter as a declared democrat candidate, Little Tommy Stubbs and some cat named John Ridley from Decatur are also talking about running as democrats. Last years republican candidate in the 42nd, Altaf Galeyev, is lining up to give it a go, The Libertarian Party of DeKalb County has an excellent candidate waiting in the wings and even the Green Party is rumored to be looking for a candidate.

If this thing drags out until March 2010, even the Constitution Party will have time to run somebody in the Uber Liberal 42nd. Since it's a special election the only requirements for declaring are that the candidate be over 25 years of age, lives in the district and can pony up the $400 qualifying fee. No party affiliation or petitioning required. Kinda like the way elections for state level public office should be.

So if you need some minor political experience for resume enhancement in these trying times, perhaps you should keep your eyes open for Sec State Handel's announcement about the qualifying period and sign up when the crew in DC finally confirms Mr. Adelman. From a Libertarian perspective, we'd like to see 80 or 90 candidates vying for the District 42 Senate Seat. Imagine the Debates!

Well, it's time to get back to work on the mobile modular 30 foot tall Statue of Liberty for the Decatur Campaign, finish wiring up the sound trucks and start printing yard signs and Posters for a breakneck three week campaign!

Monday, December 7, 2009

I was reading the Political Insider over the weekend and really, really, really enjoying Big Jim Galloway's post on the republican flim flam game going on over Speaker Richardson's resignation when a quote by none other than Sec State Karen Handel caught my eye,

Quote:

“From the moment you become aware of an impropriety or wrongdoing, and you do nothing about it, you become part of the problem,”

She actually said that.

Based on her heartfelt and earnest statement, I have to assume that she still hasn't read Title 10 or Title 21 of the Official Code of Georgia. These code sections are the basis for our belief that electronic petitioning is legal and acceptable here in Georgia without any new legislation required from the Animal House currently serving down at the Gold Dome. We've contacted the Sec State twice this year on this matter and got brushed off both times.

Quote:

“From the moment you become aware of an impropriety or wrongdoing, and you do nothing about it, you become part of the problem,”

Really?! What part of our fair state's 1943 Jim Crow Petition law do you like best? Is it the insanely high percentage of registered voters that have to sign such petitions? Is it the archaic paper form of a certain size and shape that each have to be notorized? Do you smile quietly to yourself at the thought of all those Libertarian volunteers having to go door to door in the hot June sun? Or is it the Notary Public Loophole that allows those hard won signatures to be disqualified wholesale? Which one of them is it Sec State Handel?

Quote:

“From the moment you become aware of an impropriety or wrongdoing, and you do nothing about it, you become part of the problem,”

Since you're absolutely brimming with suggestions as to how the legislature can overcome their problems with improper gifts, girlfriends and sweetheart deals with their pals, what are you planning to do about the 66 years of of ballot access tyranny that has cursed our fair state? Are you going to continue your current policy of good old boy go-along to get-along oppression or are you ready to see the light? Will you take action to end the injustice?

Quote:

“From the moment you become aware of an impropriety or wrongdoing, and you do nothing about it, you become part of the problem,”

Friday, December 4, 2009

You get all worked up because there's gonna be a special election in Georgia Senate District 42 due to Dave Adelman getting appointed Ambassador to Singapore and then it hits you that what with the republican Speaker of the house having to resign over ethical problems, well, there's gonna be a special election State House District 19 to get a replacement for him too!

So where the hell is State House District 19? The hard working crew over here at Bludgeon & Skewer has an answer and a freakin' map!

So State House District 19 is in play as of 1 JAN 2010, since the esteemed Speaker managed to dictate terms on his resignation to be effective as of that date. What a guy! We're looking into a suitable Libertarian Candidate for that race right now and keeping an eye open for any other republicans that might screw up, get caught and have to follow Speaker Richardson's example in the near future.

Lot's to do as we continue prepping for the special election in Senate District 42 and start planning for next years run at House District 19.

More to follow from your friendly neighborhood Libertarian Community Organizer!

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Well the suspense is over, none other than Thomas Wheatley over at Fresh Loaf broke the news that Jason Carter will run for Dave Adelman's seat once he's winging his way to Singapore. And another name got dropped in the hopper for that same seat. Some dude named Tom Stubbs has mentioned he might get in the race as a democrat.

Here's the Score card so far:

Jason Carter Democrat Declared
Tom Stubbs Democrat Rumored
John Ridley Democrat Rumored
Altaf Galeyev Republican Rumored
? Libertarian Soon to be announced
? Green Party They'll decide after the combined car wash/bake sale to see if they can raise the $400 to qualify.
? Any and everybody else

So head over to Fresh Loaf and join the fun! We've already left tracks as you can see below.

TANSTAAFL Says:
December 3rd, 2009 at 5:48 pm
Greetings All,

We’re running out of post it notes over here at the secret underground Libertarian Command Center (LCC) as we try to keep up with the various and sundry announced, thinking about it and unannounced candidates for the impending special election in State Senate District 42.

Now we can move Jason Carter from the unannounced dry erase board over to the declared blackboard and put up a note for this Judge Stubbs dude. He’s got some company because there’s a guy named John Ridley from Decatur also considering running as a democrat. You also have to add in Altaf Galeyev, the republican candidate in 2008 who knew he was gonna get shellacked by David Adelman but still had the stones to run. We’re thinking he’ll be back.

The Libertarians will have a candidate on the ballot for the 42nd special election. Since it’s a special election, Georgia’s 1943 Jim Crow petition process that has been so successful in keeping third parties from running candidates for the Georgia House and Georgia Senate does not apply. We’ve also heard that that those zany guys and gals over at the Green Party are thinking about fielding a candidate.

So if you’ve got $400 bucks laying around and you want some political experience for resume enhancement, you should keep up with the news and when Sec State Karen Handle announces the qualifying period is open, head down and join the fun!

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

So go ahead and call me Cyber Ninja! It scrolls, it zooms, it takes the mystery out of Georgia State Senate District 42! Too bad the government of the state of Georgia just couldn't bring themselves to put a map like this one on their cheesy General Assembly website. While you're eye balling District 42, check out District 39 right next door! 20 miles long and 1 mile wide!

Come to think of it, why would the entrenched two party system ever make it easy to see their handy-work and the manly art of the Gerrymander? If the voters woke up and actually saw how stacked the deck is, they might want change or something.

So enjoy the map and just for kicks, where would you place 1000 yardsigns for maximum effect in the 42nd District?

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

The Senate district 42 special election just got more complicated as John Ridley, Ex Decatur City Councilman has sent out an massive email blast telling everybody he's thinking about running. That would make two democrats in the race if Jason Carter gives it a go. In a similar vein, a little bird tells us that the redoubtable republican, Altaf Galeyev, is looking at the race very closely and is likely to enter the contest as well. And a different little bird has signaled some interest from those zany Green Party guys and gals. What a contest this is shaping up to be!

Speaking of shape, here's a map of State Senate District 42. A modern marvel of the art of the Gerrymander, it winds its way from Decatur through Avondale Estates to the mighty metropolis of Scottdale to the east and laps over I-85 around Clairmont Road to the north. The nooks and cranny's of it's path ensure that District 42 will forever be a liberal democratic stronghold anchored on the Emory Complex. Check out the map and see if you're one of the lucky citizens who will have an opportunity to vote in the upcoming election!

http://www.legis.ga.gov/legis/2009_10/senate/images/metromap.gif

One day my Cyber-Ninja Kung Fu will be good enough to get an actual picture to post on this blog, but not today. If you want to see the pitiful state supplied map then copy and paste the link above.

If you want to see a great map that actually shows you the road net and place names while being helpfully color coded, check out this site:

http://www.govtrack.us/local/maps.xpd

More to follow from your friendly neighborhood Libertarian Community Organizer!